[Jeff Hinkle]

Thanks for the tips, Roei. Guess I should have clarified: I’m already a Lynda subscriber (although I’ve not watched the Christiansen courses so thanks for that recommendation) and I’ve read my Meyer book to tatters. What I’m looking for is more of a traditional school approach, with actual course structure and assignments. Something next-level beyond independent study.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

Depend what you mean by “put together.” Are you trying to place an image over a new background, or blend one image into another’s shape? What is your desired end result?

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

Think I saw something on the Adobe forums in the past that this problem can be caused by a missing required plugin after a move/install/update, and that a reinstall is the safest solution (or on a Mac, the only solution since the required files are part of the application bundle). Since you seem to be missing not only PNG, but quite a few file types, I’m thinking that might sadly be your best bet.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

I’ve sometimes had Photoshop refuse to open a file simply because it didn’t like the file extension (.jpeg vs. .jpg, for example). Do your PNG files have odd file extensions? What happens if you change one to “.png”, will Photoshop recognize it then?

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

View>Show>Brush Preview ought to do it. Note you have to have a bristle-tip brush selected to be able to change the setting.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

If it were me, I’d shoot them in front of a properly lit green screen and key/composite in Photoshop. Give you much more control and not have to spend anything on a one-time-use backdrop.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

Talk to the printshop that will be printing your 8’x 8′ backdrop and follow their specifications. They’ll be able to tell you what your digital specs should be for their mechanical reproduction. Be sure to factor in any extra image edge for mounting.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

I was afraid of that. We don’t do nearly enough heavy lifting (most of our renders are short form, completed in just a few minutes) that they’d go for that just for the additional control. Here’s how the conversation would go:

“Got the After Effects network render to work.”
“Did it save time?”
“Yes. But it lacks control. There are other options that offer more.”
“Are they free?”
“No.”
“… And this way saved time, you say?”

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

Pillar-boxing was my first suggestion and was unceremoniously shot down. Also tried covering the edges with fake shadows and fake set elements to no avail, because it looked like we were “covering something up.” Well, yeah.

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.

[Jeff Hinkle]

I saw that once where a coworker solo’ed a layer that started outside the comp, then made it Shy. Couldn’t figure out why everything was invisible. Similar situation?

—
It is easier to destroy than to create.
More fun, too.